Sick Day
by RinaSkitty
Summary: When Citron gets sick, Eureka and Serena leave Satoshi in charge of dealing with him while they get supplies at the next town. While taking care of the poor sick nerd, Satoshi starts uncovering his emotions in an awfully awkward situation. Rated T for raging teenage hormones. Nothing graphic, just cute :) Diodeshipping! SatoshixCitron, AshxClemont.
1. Chapter 1

I like connecting bits of my Fanfics together. So you guys will be seeing that in this one too :)

Just so you guys now, I seperated out the different scenes (because this fic has different parts) with the grey line thing and _**bold print**_! That way hopefully it'll be easier to read.

One with the show!

* * *

It all started with a sneeze.

They had just made their way through the snowy passes leaving Dedenmill Town and all seemed well as usual. The morning's sunrays warmed them pleasently, especially after a week of traveling through the wet freezing weather. The golden light dappled the forest floor, occasionally waking a Koratta or a horde of Subame.

The girls walked ahead happily giggling and whispering to themselves. From behind, Satoshi could see Eureka sneak a peak back at him and Citron, a devious smile crossing her young face.

The Kanto boy stretched, feeling his shoulders pop lightly.

"It's good to get outta there. Right, Pikachu?" He grinned at his Pokemon, scratching him behind the ears. The mouse leaned into his hand, letting out a pleased 'chaaaaaa!'. Curiously, he looked over to Citron.

The boy still looked so tired. The faint purple circles under his eyes were only emphasised by his frames. His nose was a bright cherry red, and his normally pale skin, even more washed out. He hadn't spoken much all morning and was lacking behind a little more than usual, even for himself.

 _Is he okay?.._

"Hey, Citron, feeling al-"

"Ah-ah-choo!" The inventor covered his face with his elbow. Something about him reminded Satoshi of a Lillipup left out in the rain. Serena and Eureka stopped, looking back at the boys.

"Y-yeah. I'll be fine.." he tried to dismiss his rather gross runny nose, blowing it into a hanky from his pocket.

He didn't convince any of his companions. Eureka looked on sceptically, then leaned over towards Serena. The honey haired girl tipped her head, curious about whatever idea she had.

"Let's test it.." Eureka whispered, then took a step towards her brother. "Onii-chan," his sister started, putting her tiny hands on her hips. "You got a REALLY big booger, right here." She pointed to her nose, and emphisised the 'really' maybe a bit too much.

Satoshi at first was confused, but it immeditely was obvious why the girl did that. Citron's face fell, looking incredibly shy and embarassed as he turned and blew his nose again. Eureka continued her rudeness.

"You also have chapped lips, it looks really gross. You smell funny, have you changed your clothes? You sh-"

"Eureka," Satoshi interupted, noticing the inventor starting to tear up. Why was she being so mean? He hadn't done anything wrong. "Stop picking on him!"

"I am _not_!" She defended herself, then pointed at her brother. "He's sick!"

"S-sick?.." The Kanto boy looked back at his friend, he looked the worst he had ever seen him. "Citron?" he asked, needing confirmation before accepting Eureka's bluntness. Slowly, the blond nodded.

"Onii-chan's always a huge cry baby when he gets sick. Normally those things I said wouldn't bother him so much. See?" She stook her tounge out at Satoshi, then turned to Serena. "How close are we to the next town?"

The girl pulled her map from her skirt pocket, checking where they were. While they were busy talking and debating what to do, the trainer turned to his friend.

"Citron, why didn't you tell me?" Satoshi asked gently, extending a hand to the boy's shoulder. Surely he should have said something. If he had, he could be resting and getting better, instead of wondering through the forest looking like a neglected Cubchoo. Gingerly he placed the back of his palm to the boy's forhead, feeling his raging fever.

"I..I.." he sniffled, tearing up again. "I'm sorry!" The boy threw his arms around his friend, rubbing his boogery face onto the front of his overshirt.

"It's.. okay." Although this wasn't the time, he really couldn't ignore the warm flutter in his stomach that came from being on the recieving end of one of their hugs. With mild disgust, yet overwhelming concern, Satoshi returned it, patting his back lightly.

"We're only a little more than an hour and a half away." Serena looked up, slightly surprised at the two boys embracing in front of them. "I-if we keep going, we can be there before noon."

"He shouldn't be walking around like this." Satoshi said paternally, stroking the blond boy's head. "Right?" The inventor wordlessly nodded.

"Ugh..Onii-chan, pull yourself together." Eureka sighed at her hopeless brother.

"No." he whimpered, his voice muffled by Satoshi's tear and snot covered shirt. "I'm tired, I don't want to walk right now.."

"I can carry you." The raven haired teen offered. There was the strange whirl of emotions starting in his chest again. If there was any way he could be of help, even if it ment a tedious walk and an aching body the rest of the day, he'd do it. The boy looked up, rubbing his face clean with his sleeve.

"Wou-"

"You'll carry him for nearly _two hours_?" Serena asked, a tint of jealousy in her words. She, like Eureka, looked more than slightly annoyed.

"I'll carry him for days if I need to." The trainer responded proudly. "I'm strong, I can do it." This seemed to set the sick boy off again, as he mumbled and whipped his face on Satoshi's chest.

Serena pinched the bridge of her nose, getting more aggrivated by the second.

"No, no. What if _Eureka and I_ go ahead to the next town? We'll get him some medicine and supplies. Then you and Citron can set up camp and wait here for us. Once he's better, we can get going again." She smiled down to Eureka. "Besides, we can get ice cream. It'll be a Girls' Day Out."

Eureka's face lit up. Ice cream AND not having to baby her brother? Seemed like a win-win.

"Sounds great!" The girl yanked on Serena's hand, determined to get away as quickly as possible. "We'll be back soon! Bye!" With that, she bolted away, dragging a very confused (yet relieved) Serena with her.

"Th-they left.." Citron sniffled, letting go of Satoshi.

"That's alright." The Kanto boy smiled reassuringly at his friend. "I'll take care of you. Here," he took the boy's backpack from his shoulders and slung it over his own. "Let's move a little into the forest, then I'll set up the tent and you can relax."

* * *

 ** _(back with Serena and Eureka)_**

"Thank Arceus, we got out of there." Eureka unscrewed the lid of a tiny jar, and handed Dedenne a Mago berry treat.

"Why were you determined to leave so quickly?" Serena asked. Of course it was a bit annoying, but surely things weren't THAT bad.

"I love my Onii-chan and everything," she started, placing the jar back in her pouchette. "But he's kinda hard to deal with when he gets like this. Last time he had the flu, Papa had to go to the story every few hours for tissues or tea. You know, stuff like that. He thought he had some weird virus that I can't even pronounce.." She sighed. "He can really be hopeless sometimes."

"Oh.." It was silent as the girls walked along. A look of contemplation came over Eureka's face, giving her the appearence of being far wiser than her years.

"That's one of the reasons why I want to find Nii-chan a nice wife. That way he'll always have someone there when he needs them."

Serena paused. They had never talked about why she was so bent on embarrasing him and asking every girl they came across to be his bride.

"She'd have to be supportive of all his dumb inventions, and tell him he's cool all the time. She'd have to be willing to do anything to make him happy." The girl went on, not realising that she was now talking to herself. "She'd have to be brave, because Onii-chan really isn't. Did you know he had to sleep with a nightlight until he was 10? Oh! And she'd be really cute too. With BIG sparkly eyes! You know, like-" She made flashy signs with her hands, "KIRAKIRA!"

"..like Satoshi.." Serena mumbled under her breathe, her mind buzzing as she remembered their entire journey. Thinking back, perhaps, she wasn't the only one who had a crush...

* * *

 _ **(back at camp)**_

Satoshi had kept his promise and set up the tent for Citron, insisting that he get some much needed rest. As he worked outside to set up camp, the blond shuffled around in his sleeping bag, trying to get comfortable.

"Ugh.. I can't breathe!" he growled, removing his glasses to wipe his water eyes. His head pounding with the pressure only a sinus infection could bring, and his runny nose had tagged off, and was now congesting his air ways. Surely there was something that could be done, right?!

Irritated, he reached into his backpack. Although their medical supplies was fairly low, there was a few miscellaneous things he could use. After much deliberation, he pulled a handful of cough drop wrappers, an empty inhaler (only Satoshi knew that he suspected to have asthma), and an odd small container.

For a minute he just sat, feeling like a flustered 5 year old. Then he reached out for the medication.

"Urgh!" The inventor strained, trying desperately to open the minty green jar. After a few more futile attempts, he sighed, giving up as he threw himself back down on the pillow. Being sick and frustrated, he whined, much unlike his usual self. "This sucks!"

"Citron? You okay in there?" Satoshi peeped his head in the tent flap. He had just started brewing a kettle of tea, when he heard the distressed boy. Cautiously, he crawled in and made himself comfortable at the edge of his sleeping bag.

"Yeah.. I just couldn't get this open." The blond pouted, pointing at the discarded jar sitting near his glasses. Curiously, Satoshi reached over and grabbed it.

 _Menthe Vaporub: Appliquer sur la poitrine_

"What's it say?" He asked, not knowing a word of French.

"It's a Vapour Rub, you apply it to your chest to help you breathe easier when your sick." The blond looked up at him from the top of his sleeping bag. "Or atleast that's what you're _supposed_ to be able to do. I just couldn't get it."

"Need a hand?" The Kanto boy got a firm grip on the jar, and gave it a good strong turn, as the top popped off. "There!" He flashed a smile at the boy. It was nice to feel useful, it also didn't hurt to show off a little.

"Th-thank you." Citron sat up. Inside he knew he should've just asked for help to begin with, instead of letting himself get irritated. But now that Satoshi was here, he seemed to feel alot calmer. Gingerly, he tried taking the product back, only to have it pulled away.

"Here, I got it." Satoshi scooted closer nearly in the boy's lap and removed his gloves. Something about how helpless he looked made the Kanto teen want to try to give making him feel better a shot. He'd do the same for him, right?

Curiously, he dipped his hand into the jar, extracting a decent sized dollop of the vapour rub. The slippery gooey feeling between his fingers and the gel's pale, almost tranlucent colour reminded him of slime. Although it did give off a pleasent minty smell.

"Um.."

For a minute they sat in silence, their gazes going between Satoshi's freshly slicked fingers, Citron's clothed chest, and then each other. A candy pink blush deepened across the blond boy's already flushed cheeks.

"O-oh.. yeah.." Shyly, he undid the first two buttons, exposing a small patch of pale skin. Satoshi's face heated up, unable to control the sudden rush of hormones flooding his body.

 _You know, I don't think I've ever seen him shirtless. It's weird, but not really in a bad way. I probably am just not used to it yet. I mean, he probably felt this way about me at some point. I'm kinda shameless about taking mine off. It's nothing unusual.._

"Is that enough space?" He eyed the little opening, seeing his collar bone dipping down. It really didn't look like enough room for him to apply the greasy mint paste. "Won't the rest of your shirt get messy?"

"You're right." The boy hesitated, then undid another three buttons. He paused again, his brain seemingly analysing, then went back and completely opened his nightshirt. "I-I think that's good. What do you think?"

"Yeah, pretty good.." Satoshi's peachy blush darkened, slowly becoming aware that devious thoughts were forming in his mind. His eyes followed down the inventor's body, taking in every detail of his fair skin and softly defined chest for the first time. Looking further, he saw his stomach and even further, the rim of a blue pair of striped boxers..

 _He's actually kind of.. attractive..in his own nerdy way.._

Quickly, he pulled his eyes back up as he tried to regain his focus.

 _OH, COME ON!_

He mentally scolded himself. What was he thinking?! Citron was his friend, and on top of that, a boy. He wasn't supposed to be having these feelings, right?! But then again, was there really anything _wrong_ with it? That's how he was really feeling after all. There was something oddly appealing about the pale boy, he just looked like a soft porcelin doll.

He shook the thoughts away, deciding to reason everything out later. Placing the jar back on the ground, he leaned over to his friend.

"Ready?"

"I guess so." With that, he placed his fingertips to the boy's chest. Citron cringed, his nightshirt falling off his thin shoulders. "I-it's cold."

"Sorry." He apologised, then brought his hands together, warming the gel. As he worked the translucent product between his palms, the boy couldn't help but sneak peeks at his friend's exposed body. Although he tried desperately not to look, it was as though his eyes were attracted like magnets.

"...thanks, by the way." Citron smiled. "I know it's probably not very pleasent seeing me like thi-"he said, shyly jesturing to himself.

"Don't be stupid." The raven haired boy said abruptly. "It's not like you're deformed or anything. Sure you're a little skinny, but you're still cute-" He tried to stop his words, only catching them a second too late.

 _Wait! Shit, I didn't mean to say that outloud!_

Citron seemed to be confused as well, his face had turned bright pink as he looked away. Without his glasses to shield him, Satoshi could see a sweet bashful smile spread across his lips.

"Y-you thi-"

"Forget it, let's try this." The Kanto boy quickly changed the subject, holding up three heavily slicked warm fingers. Cautiously, he reached out again, running them along the boy's chest.

He could hear his heart beating loudly in his ears as he worked the product on to his soft skin. His normally steady easy demeanor shot by a haze of unfamiliar hormones.

 _This is just to help out, nothin' more.. nothin' more._

But no matter how hard he wanted to deny it, that just wasn't the case. All the blood that had once been in his head was traveling between his legs. Being so close to each other alone in their tent, and then the act of running his hand up and down the other's chest seemed to send a signal to his body that this wasn't as innocent as he thought it was.

Once his fingers were clear and Citron's chest had a nice coat of the minty gel, he retracted his hand, blushing harder than ever before.

"I-is that good? Or do you want more?" In his head he was silently praying that they could stop, out of fear that Citron would discover the growing problem down in his lap.

"I think it's fine." The boy quickly covered himself back up, buttoning his nightshirt and slinking back into his sleeping bag. His face was a deep magenta pink. Had he been thinking the same thing? Or was he just weirded out by Satoshi's unfamiliar nervous behaviour? "Thank you."

"N-no problem." The teen stood akwardly, wanting to turn around as quickly as possible. "I-I'll bring you your tea when it's done." Without waiting for another reply, he left the tent and made his way across the camp site.

"Pika-pi?" Pikachu came bounding to his side, his happy expression turning into concern at the frustrated look on his trainer's face. The boy took a seat away from the tent and everyone else, taking deep breathes to try clearing his head.

 _Okay, think. Why did that turn me on? I just wanted to be a good friend, but NOOOOO. Stupid body had to go and mess things up._

"Kuso." he cursed under his breathe, yanking on fistfuls of his hair. Although he was a teenager now (and a boy on top of that), he still had no clue what to do with all the excess hormones and testosterone that was pumping though his blood. There was no one he could turn to for help. Yeah, you could say masterbation was always there, but where are you going to accomplish that? Alone in the woods? That'd be kind of creepy. Late at night in bed next to the boy you're fantasising over without his knowledge? That'd be even MORE creepy. Maybe punching a tree really hard would help?..

 _Damnit, Citron. Why do you need to be so helpless..and smart.. and fun..and cool..and..and cute?.._

His amber eyes slowly went wide, putting everything together in his normally dense head.

 _Wait a second, I've been thinking this for a while now. I think it started around the Scary House incident.._

Satoshi thought back, remembering that morning after their spooky visit that night before. He had seen how shaken up Citron was, and tried to comfort him once they had gotten some alone time at a quaint cafe. It was then he noticed the shy sweet expression that crossed the blond's face as they ate their breakfast in silence. At first he brushed his feelings off, but now it was starting to make sense.

He had already known for a while now that he enjoyed hanging out with him the most. The boy was just fun and easy to be around. There was just something so inviting and infecious about his smile, his laugh, and even just his eyes. He also knew that he'd get warm fluttering sensations in his chest when they were close, or had a moment.

 _I never thought about it before... but..do I LIKE him?_

All the times he'd hugged him, all the times they complemented or supported each other, it all felt so geniune. The happiest memory he could muster, was of their gym battle. The whole day, from their match that morning to staying up late together in Prism Tower made him smile harder than anything else could.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a gentle tapping down on his calf. Curiously, he looked over. Horubii was sitting there, holding a small satchel of blue berries in his tiny paws.

"Ho-bii." The rabbit pulled an Oran berry from the pouchette with one of his ears and handed it to him.

"Huh? Th-thanks." Temporarily his frustration wained, accepting the little fruit and popping it into his mouth. Some how it seemed to make him feel a little better.

"bii.." Carefully, the Pokemon wrapped the fruit up again, brought it into it's hand like ears, and hopped over to their tent. Satoshi watched as he let himself in to see his trainer.

* * *

 _ **(a little later)**_

As afternoon drew near, the girls still hadn't returned back (perhaps they were just enjoying themselves). Satoshi still sat by the tree, drawing in his sketchpad.

His brain was buzzing over his newest self-discovery. No matter how he looked at it, no matter how much he wanted to reason around it, he couldn't deny the fact that he had developed a crush on the drippy-nosed blond boy resting in their tent.

 _I shouldn't be embarrased, right? I mean, you don't choose who you fall in love with. It doesn't matter that he's a guy, because I didn't fall for him because he has a dick.. It's because he's HIM._

The trainer continued to doodle, the pencil bringing peace to his confused, hormone drugged mind. All that he had been pushing out of his head came down on the paper like a flood.

Across the camp, Pikachu and Harimaron were roughousing, entertaining themselves while the others went about their buisiness, either sleeping in their Pokeballs or exploring the nearby forest. Rentorar, on the other hand, sat protectively by the tent, his starry tail curled over his massive paws.

"Lucha! Cha-bul!" the fighting type sounded upset. Satoshi looked up, seeing Gekogashira and Luchabul disagreeing again. The frog held what appeared to look like a large green fruit away from him.

"Gek-a."

"Hey, you two!" Satoshi hurried over, seperating them before they could get in a fight. He kept them on either side. "What's going on?" The Pokemon both tried to get their story across first.

This was the last thing he wanted to deal with right now.

"Okay, fine!" The trainer pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think it's time for lunch. You two," he started, "I need you to stop argueing long enough to figure this out." He took the fruit, and split it down the middle and handed it back to them. "Okay? I'll take care of feeding everyone in a second."

Begrudingly, they seemed to agree, taking the food and going off their own ways. Satoshi sighed, trying to think of what to do as he took several small bags of PokeFood and distributed it to each of their bowls. Veguly aware of the rumbling in his own stomach, he tried to remember the last he had ever cooked, if ever at all. The teen plopped down in the grass as Pikachu and the others ate, mumbling happily as they filled their bellies.

 _Okay, think. What can I make that's simple, and will actually stay in Citron's stomach? I don't wanna risk him throwing up.. Hm, nothing spicy. He doesn't like spicy food. What about soup?.. how do you make soup? Carrots? Green Peas? Wait, he doesn't like peas either.._

He poundered for a minute, holding a finger to his chin thoughtfully.

 _..Oka-san always makes Okayu when I'm sick.._

Curiously he got back up, rumaging around through the group's dried food supplies and finding a bag of rice.

"Can't be too hard, right?"

* * *

 _ **(meanwhile, in the tent)**_

The blond was slowly waking from his nap, noticing Horubii hadn't left his side. Instead, the rabbit had chosen to curl up in the crook of his elbow, enjoying the heat leaching from his trainer's fever struck body. Citron smiled, deciding not to wake the Pokemon.

His lense-less eyes peered out the tent's open skylight, a blurry scene of clouds floated by as his mind wondered.

 _I wonder when Eureka and Serena will be back.._

The thought of Eureka whining at him to pull himself together in addition to the two girls' overwhelming giddiness was giving a headache just thinking about it. The inventor sighed, closing his eyes again.

His brain began to wonder, thinking of the dark haired trainer somewhere outside the tent. Their incident earlier was still imprinted deep in his mind.

 _He called me cute.. he even blushed. Has he ever done that before?_

The inventor smiled. He'd known for a long time that he had a crush on Satoshi. Somewhere along the line, his admiration and respect for him had turned into a sweet, kind of genuine love. He truely enjoyed hanging out, battling, talking, and even just sharing a tent with him. Over their long months together, he could safely say that Satoshi had become his best friend.

But even though he felt this way, didn't mean that Satoshi did. The Kanto boy WAS terribly dense after all. Surely he hadn't picked up on his emotions. Besides, he probably didn't like boys anyway..

 _It's nice to dream though.._

..But what if he _does_? It hadn't been an illusion. He'd seen the peachy flush that overcame his face. Normally Satoshi was so bold and confident, and yet, in that brief moment, it seemed like he'd broken down to the stammering mess that Citron typically found himself in.

Being the nerd he was, he followed the scientific method:

 _Let's pose a question.. Does Satoshi feel the same way about me?_

 _Okay, think. Background research._

He thought through their interaction earlier, and the scattered facts he knew about Satoshi. He'd told him that he's never been in a relationship. Heterosexual or homosexual. Then there was his constant enthusiasim when it came to his inventions. They were always complementing each other, praising each other and being supportive when they needed it. There were even times where Satoshi could be _clingy_.

 _Not to mention how weird he was acting earlier.._

Although Satoshi was trying to hide it (and admitantly, he did a fair job), he could tell very clearly that their brief intamite contact had taken a quick effect on the Kanto boy.

 _So there's our current research. What hypothosis can we form?.. there is a distinct possibility he COULD like me...he's never expressed that he doesn't.._

Citron blushed. He had evidence and a theory. From what he had gathered, the possibility was certainly there. But what could come next would be a bit harder.

.. _I need to test it._

* * *

 _ **(later)**_

"Citron?" He heard Satoshi whisper from outside the tent, bringing him out of his mental planning. "You awake?" the inventor blinked, his eyes trying to get their focus back.

"Yeah, come in." The zipper opened, revealing a rather stressed, yet proud looking Satoshi. He had a bright glint in his eye, his hands craddling a small blue bowl in a towel.

"Feeling better?" a warm mild smell wafted through the tent, waking Horubii. The rabbit hopped up, handing his trainer his glasses. Careful not to spill the steaming bowl, Satoshi sat on his knees at the foot of Citron's sleeping bag.

"A little. Thanks." The blond sat up, looking between Satoshi and the dish.

"I brought ya lunch." He grinned shyly. "My mom always made this when I got sick. So I thought maybe you'd like to try."

"You _cooked_?"

"Yeah. I know, I'm shocked too." Slowly, he handed his friend the food. "It's called Okayu. Basically it's like a rice porrige. I also added some powdered ginger and green onion." He watched hopefully as Citron sniffed the new white concoction. "Normally my mom would put fresh ginger, umeboshi and shiromiso instead, but we didn't have any."

"What's that?" the inventor took a small bite, seemingly taking to the Okayu fairly well as he ate it slowly.

"Umeboshi is a like a salty pickled plum, and shiromiso is fermented soybean paste. You make it into a broth."

"Huh? Fermented?" the blond looked slightly off put. Apparently pickled and fermented foods weren't too common in Kalos.

"Yeah, it's better than it sounds." He smiled. "So, you like it?"

"I do." he took another spoonful, scooping up some of the little green flakes. "You should make it again sometime."

"Really?" Satoshi smiled even wider. Hearing Citron complement him made his chest flutter again. "I thought it turned out a little too runny. If you want, next time I can ask my mom to send some of the other stuff for it."

"That's okay. I'd prefer it exactly as it is." the inventor scooped another spoonful, and held it over the dish towards Satoshi. "Would you like a bite?"

"Hm?" The trainer blushed. His brain went immedietely to the scenes in anime where the cute boy would offer the main girl character a bit of his cookie or something, completely oblivious to the implications. The scenerio seemed to fit all too well.

 _Geez. Relax, champ..I don't think he's aware of it._

"S-sure." He let Citron feed him a bite of the Okayo, then return the spoon to his dish.

"Thanks, by the way. You're the reason I'm feeling better. Well, Horubii too." He pet the rabbit lightly, who seemed to appreciate the aknowledgement. He nuzzled his trainer's hand affectionately.

"It's nothing. I'd do anything fo-.." he paused, quickly rephrasing his words. "-to help you get better. Being sick sucks." In his head, he completed his original thought.

 _I'd pretty much do anything for you._

"Yeah." the inventor put his bowl beside him on the ground, repositioning himself on top of the sleeping bag. If he didn't know better, Satoshi'd swear that he was _trying_ to be cute. Citron sat with his knees to his sides, resembling a shy anime girl and pulled the hem of his nightshirt as far over his legs as it'd go. One of his hands found it's way into his hair, ruffling his bangs lightly. "Hey, Satoshi?"

"Hm?" Satoshi pulled himself out of his wondering thoughts.

"This is going to sound kind of weird, but," the boy tilted his head down slightly, a small smile forming on his pink face. "You really are my best friend."

Satoshi felt his heart skip a beat as he looked back into Citron's pale eyes. Now that he had become aware of his developing feels for the inventor, every little thing sent his hormones into a frenzy. Now hearing his words only made the fuzzy emotions even worse.

 _Oh no.. I'm getting in too deep._

"I want you to know that no matter what, no matter what we say or do, you'll always be my best friend." Citron scooted closer towards Satoshi, coming to the edge of the sleeping bag and bringing them only a few inches apart. He spoke peacefully, almost in a whisper. The two were nearly touching, Citron's bare knees brushing lightly against Satoshi's.

"Y-yeah.. m-me too.." The trainer felt his face flush against his will. What happened to his bold confidence?! Why did it need to fail him _now_ of all times?!

This was just the effect the inventor had on him.

They sat in akward silence. Satoshi trying to fight his emotions away, and Citron (seemingly) innocently playing with the hem of his shirt, buttoning and unbuttoning the last snap.

 _Come on, don't do anything weird. He probably doesn't feel the same way. Does he? But then again, what if he does? Is he trying to give me a hint? He's being too cute. But then again, he's always cute.. GOD, WHY DO I NEED TO BE SO DENSE?!_

He felt a shift infront of him. Quickly the teen brought himself back to reality, finding Citron closing the little space between them. The blond wrapped his arms around Satoshi's neck, and pulled him into a warm hug. The heat of his fever raditated between them. The faint scent of mint still lingured from earlier that afternoon.

Gingerly, the raven haired boy hugged back, letting his hands find their way around Citron's waist. It felt so blissful yet nerve wrecking all at the same time. The blond didn't let go immedietely, instead opting to gently nuzzle against the crook his neck, seemingly finding comfort in Satoshi's arms.

 _W-what do I do?! This had gotta be a sign, right? No, it can't be. But he's being really intimate... wow, he's so cuddly..I wonder if I... WAIT! FOCUS! Come on, Satoshi! Pull yourself together! H-_

Satoshi drew his focus again, feeling Citron move slowly. The Kanto boy's heart beat hard against his chest. The blond hadn't let him go, no, infact... he seemed to be leaning in a little closer..

"Satoshi," he looked up through his gold coloured bangs. There was something flickering in his pale eyes, some sort of spark. His arms drew the trainer a tiny bit closer, only leaving a few iches between their faces.

"Citron.." he could feel the blond's breathe on his cheek.

 _Maybe..I can kiss him.._

Perhaps this didn't need to be thought out. When it really got down to it, Satoshi was more of an emotionally driven person. So maybe it was best to just act.

Having made up his mind, he leaned in slightly, keeping his hooded fiery amber eyes locked on Citron's. His pulse beat heavily though his veins, all the hormones and anticipation driving his brain wild. And although he wasn't sure, he could swear the inventor understood too.

Just as he felt Citron's breathe against his lips, a shrill sound broke them apart.

"We're back!" Eureka's bright voice came from outside the tent. "Onii-chan! We got you some tissues!"

"Huh? What's this?" Serena's voice came from outside too, sounding curious about what was cooking on the fire.

"It looks gross." The girls continued their babble, mixing with the russel of shopping bags or Pokemon chatting.

Citron let go of him, sitting back on the sleeping bag, his face a brilliant pink.

"Um..thanks for the lunch." he smiled nervously, picking up the warm bowl and taking another spoonful. "It's really good."

"N-no problem.." Satoshi rubbed the back of his neck, embarrasement painting his cheeks. "I think..I'm gonna help them put everything away.." Slowly he stood, keeping his head down, trying to hide in his mess of dark hair. "If you need me, just call."

With that, Satoshi left, zipping the tent as he went.

Citron sat for a minute, his eyes not lifting from the spot the Kanto boy just sat. His brain mulled over his results, calculating and analysing. After a few moments, he turned, looking at Horubii. The rabbit stared up, uncovering one of his eyes with a floppy large ear.

"Horubii," the inventor started, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "I think we have our conclusion.."

 _Satoshi... was about to kiss me..._

Sure, you could say it was a spur of the moment thing. And deep down the blond knew that his theory would need future testing. But for now, he'd wait and let things settle down. Then when it seemed right, he'd act again.

 _He.. really likes me?.._

* * *

This was fun to write :) hope you guys like it!


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys! Originally, "Sick Day" was going to just be a one shot. But thanks to all the inspiring comments you guys left, I decided to extend it out to several chapters :)_

 _I know this one's not too long, but I just wanted to get something posted that way you all knew this._

 _Anyway, I hope you enjoy! And just as with my other on-going fics, I'll try to have updates as soon as I can._

 _Thank you to all the people who commented and favourited this!_

* * *

"Hey." Satoshi greeted the girls briefly, opening one of the fabric shopping bags and removing a box of tissues. He tried desperately to control the very obvious blush that had invaded his face.

"Hi!" Eureka chimed back, stashing a new jar of PokeTreats in the group's food supplies. Luckily, she seemed unaware of his current problem. Serena, however, had spotted the peachy flush.

"Are you okay, Satoshi?" She cocked her head, a concerned yet curious expression on her face. Eureka popped her tiny blond head up, wanting to get in on any potential gossip.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you su-"

"Your face is bright pink!" The girl ran up to him, craning her neck to get a closer look at him as he tried to hide beneathe his hat. There was a small yank on his arm, forcing him to turn in the girls' direction.

"De-de!" Dedenne chirped, agreeing with his caretaker.

"No, it's not." The Kanto boy tried futilly again. While he didn't want them to see the mess the sick nerd had made him, he wasn't about to shake off an excited 6 year old, _especially_ Citron's little sister.

"Yes it is! Let me see!" A wide grin spread across her face. "..Aw!" She squished his cheeks between her palms.

"Let me go!" he grunted, resembling Pikachu whenever someone got too touchy.

"But you're so cute! Look, Serena!" Eureka leaned over slightly, letting the honey haired girl get a view of the flustered trainer.

"Eureka, I-I don't think he likes that too much." The girl stiffled a chuckle. Apparently his embarasement was slightly amusing, perhaps because of it's rarity.

"What made you blush?" Eureka beamed up at him, finally letting Satoshi's face go. The girl gave a small nod in Serena's direction, causing her older friend to also flush.

There was NO way he was going to tell them the truth. No, what happened in the tent would just be between him and Citron. How would they react if he said: "Oh this? Well, you see, funny story, I just nearly kissed your brother. But then you guys came along and kinda ruined it."

That wouldn't go well.

Satoshi could feel both the girls' eyes on him, holding their breathe waiting for his answer. While Eureka looked genuinely curious and peppy, Serena had an almost fearful aura around her.

"Well?"

"Well... ya see, be-"

"Satoshi?" He heard Citron's voice from somewhere behind him. Quickly Satoshi turned around, feeling the pressure lift off his shoulders.

 _THANK YOU!_

The boy was peering out through the tent flap, his complexion still a warm feverish pink. Horubii hopped out beneathe him, wanting to join the other Pokemon in the campsite.

"Can you please help me with something really quick?"

"Anything for you, buddy!" Gratefully Satoshi rushed over, leaving both the others slightly dumbfounded and confused. The trainer threw an arm around Citron's thin shoulders and gave him a hug. Briefly, he turned back to Eureka and Serena. "Sorry, guys. Gotta help out here, might be a while!" With that, the boys closed the tent flap behind them.

"Wh-what was that?" Eureka asked, putting her little hands on her hips.

The older girl seemed to know the answer, watching the spot the boys had just been at with a sad expression.

"It's probably just some dumb science thing." She sighed.

"I guess boys will be boys." Eureka shrugged, pilfering a cookie from one of the last shopping bags. She held up another pink spinkled one and offered it Serena.

"Th-thanks." She accepted it with a small smile.

* * *

 _ **(in the tent)**_

"Thanks for savin' me back there." Satoshi sighed, plopping down on Citron's sleeping bag. For a few seconds, the blond stood akwardly above him, rubbing on arm shyly.

"No problem. It just looked like Eureka was giving you a hard time. I mean, everyone blushes sometimes.. right?" He smiled back, taking a seat beside Satoshi.

Silently, the dark haired boy glanced at his friend from the corner of his eye. The inventor's gaze floated around the tent innocently.

 _"Everyone blushes sometimes" huh?.. Yeah, but not me. YOU'RE the reason I'm like this, ya know?_

Not matter how much he wanted to say this, the courage just couldn't come to him. What happened to being the bold one? The brave one? Now he was just as big of a hopeless romantic as the girls in anime. Internally, he let out a soft sigh, resolving to work on rebuilding his masculinity later.

Wordlessly the two sat, stealing glances at each other while thinking the other wasn't looking.

 _It's kinda funny_ , _I never really noticed how much just being next to him makes me happy.._

It felt like his discovery earlier had explained so much. Why was it that even though he had traveled through 6 regions, with over a dozen people (and met hundreds more), that the only person he had ever felt so comfortable with, was Citron? What was so special about him? At first, it seemed like he was just another friend, like Takashi or Dent. But as time drew on, he soon learned that this sick megane boy sitting next to him was different.

Citron was unique. He was smart and shy, but with an interesting 'mad scientist' vibe.

The blond shifted closer to him, just has he had done before the girls interupted.

 _I should probably move. He might wanna go back to sleep._

"Here ya go." As soon as he propped himself upright, a gentle hand stopped him, lightly pressing against his chest.

"W-wait." Citron stammared, a renewed blush creeping aross his face. "I.. I still need help." The blond boy kept his head down, avoiding Satoshi's gaze. Was the flush across his cheeks from his raging fever? Or was he too still being affected by their situation earlier?

"With what?" Satoshi tipped his head, trying to get a closer look at the inventor's eyes. He knew if that was always the key. If he could see Citron's eyes, then whatever words wouldn't come weren't even needed.

The second they met, it was like the air suddenly became thick, and the feeling that had been between them before seemed to return. Now that the girls were back (and reasonably destracted by their own business), was it really safe to resume where they had left off?

".."

".."

The hand Citron had planted on his chest slowly pushed Satoshi down onto the sleeping bag. With a small plop, the inventor laid down as well, keeping themselves as close as he could.

"Please, stay with me.." He looked shyly up through his blond bangs. "j-just.. until I fall asleep."

 _Okay, that's it. I KNOW he's trying to be cute.._

"Sure. No problem." He reached down and pulled the top of the sleeping bag over them both. Up until now, Satoshi had never thought that the heat of another body could feel so.. comforting. After returning his glasses to his backpack, Citron withdrew into the sleeping bag, curling up against his friend's chest like a Skitty.

"Hope you don't mind. There's not alot of room in here for two people, so it might be kind of snug." The blond mumbled into Satoshi's shirt.

"Nah, it's cool." He could feel his face turn bright peachy pink.

 _Well, if he really IS trying to get my attention.. maybe I should try to get his._

What should he do? If he really did feel the same way, then would making an advance right now seem too sudden? But what about the (almost) kiss earlier? Surely that was a 'go-ahead', right?

Satoshi's brain buzzed through various scenarios.

 _Kissing? Didn't go so well earlier. A confession?.. no, I'm REALLY not ready for that yet..what about cuddling? We're already so close together, so it wouldn't be too uncalled for.._

Slowly, he brought an arm around the small of Citron's back, bringing him into his body. His other arm rested beneathe his head, allowing his fingertips to play with the funny bit of hair that always stuck up from the top of the inventor's head.

"Comfy?"

"Y-yes." Although he couldn't see his face, from the tone in his voice it was pretty obvious he too was feeling nervous. "Thank you."

"No problem."

The peace of the moment seeped into Satoshi's mind, making him forget about the outside world. There was no one else, and nothing else besides them. The trainer let out a soft sigh, feeling his body give in to sleep.

* * *

 ** _(half an hour later; still in the tent)_**

The blond laid awake, still cuddling against his friend like a giant living plushie.

 _I couldn't do it.._

The moment was there and he completely missed it. He even bothered Satoshi by calling him back into the tent in attempt to get a second chance at his first kiss, but chickened out at the last second.

 _I'm not even tired.._

Next to him, he could hear the trainer's heartbeat rythmically. Although his initial plan didn't work, this was still a step above where they had been this morning. A sheer blush crossed the inventor's cheeks as he nuzzled against Satoshi's chest again.

The Vivillons in his stomach refused to leave, filling his body with a warm sensation that seemed to glow like an electric current. Sure, he still had the urge to kiss him. But for now, just having the boy he had been admiring for months holding him close seemed like enough.

He smiled lightly. Satoshi was the one who pulled him in this close in the first place. Granted, he has always been the one to initiate contact. But the strong hand that rested peacefully against the small of his back felt different than usual. How? He wasn't terribly sure. Perhaps it was the timid, almost vunerable way Satoshi had reached out to him. Or perhaps it was the fact that the trainer never bothered to leave, instead choosing to stay with him despite being 2 in the afternoon.

It was strangely comforting.

"..I love you, Satoshi.." he whispered, only audible to himself. He wouldn't dare tell him yet. There was still plenty of data to be collected before he felt confident enough to confess to him.

The inventor made mental notes, remembering every last detail of this moment before he too fell asleep.

* * *

Thanks guys! Please let me know what you guys think or if you have any suggestions, let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

It's finally Diodeshipping Day! Here's the first of three uploads for the day. I wanted to write upload more than three, but considering I wrote 35 pages worth total, I'm hoping these will do :)

I wanna thank Robin's Egg for the idea for this chapter. I really liked it!

Song Inspiration: "Hajimete no Chuu" by Tomohisa Sako

Enjoy!

* * *

The following evening and most of the next day passed without incident. Other than the occasional round of sneezing fits and endless rain of coughdrops and used tissues, events in the group continued as normal.

Eureka was still taking advantage of her brother's illness and sneaking extra treats for Dedenne, Serena was off on her own practicing whatever routine she had been prepairing, and Satoshi continued to nurse the sick nerd back to health.

Across the campsite, the little girl watched as Satoshi scurried around, occasionally disappearing into the boys' tent for any where between 10 minutes to a half hour.

 _I wonder what's going on.._

She didn't quite understand. Her three traveling companions were all being so weird. Why wasn't her brother behaving like he usually would? Every other time he got sick, he'd be rambling about various theories of complex illnesses that he thought he'd contracted. Their father would have to spend most of the day trying to convince him that he wasn't going to die from a runny nose ("For the fifth time, Citron, it's the flu, _not_ Malaria").

But this time was completely different. Instead, he was acting like a normal sick person. Infact, there were even moments when she had heard him and Satoshi joking around and laughing. What was he doing that helped him so much?

Perhaps it wasn't what he was doing (from what she understood, he was no Nurse Joy), but instead, what if it was just him in general?

Ah.. yes, this was something the little girl hadn't missed. Since the day they had met Satoshi, she noticed her brother's behaviour changing. She saw all the times that he blushed and stammared around the Kanto boy. She'd watch her brother create intricate blueprints, mumbling to himself in French as he worked tirelessly to impress him..

"De-de" Dedenne hopped into her lap, politely asking for another treat. Quickly, Eureka was pulled from her thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, here you go." The little girl smiled as she watched her Pokemon nibble away. From behind her, she could hear Serena returning with Yancham and Eevee chatting at her side. "Hi, Serena!" She jumped down from the rock she had been sitting on and trotted towards the picnic table.

"Hey." The honey haired girl smiled back. She removed her hat and began tying an apron around her waist. "Do you want to help me cook dinner?"

"Sure." After putting on her Snubble apron, Eureka joined her, pulling out the stems of a bundle of figy berries. Half way through the pile, she spoke, keeping her voice low. "Hey, Serena? I have a question."

"Yes?"

"..Is it possible for boys to like boys?" Almost immediately, the older girl stiffened. "Because, I think that my Onii-chan might like somebody.." She knew that Serena also liked Satoshi, so out of curtesy for her, she decided to keep _who_ a secret.

"O-Oh really? What makes you say that?"

"I dunno. I just get that feeling from him. He's never really seemed interested in girls. So I thought maybe he might like boys.." Eureka shrugged, handing Dedenne a berry to munch on while she finished her pile. "What do you think?"

"..Yeah, it's possible." Serena sighed, cutting up a green onion into the now steaming pot. "And to be honest, I've kind of been thinking that for a while too."

The girls continued in silence, occasionally tossing more vegetables and berries into the stew. From across the campsite, they could see Satoshi emerging from the tent again.

"Do ya need more tissues? How about some tea? What if I g-"

"I'm fine, Satoshi, really. It's just a sore throat."

"Well, just gimmie a sec, I'll be right back." The dark haired boy headed their way, rummaging through one of the group medical bag to retrieve a lemon yellow package.

"Geez, Satoshi, you're like his wife." Eureka smiled at him, having just finished her third stack of Wiki berries. "Well.. maybe his _husband_." This earned a nervous chuckle from the older girl as she continued cooking the group's dinner.

The trainer didn't look up, his face slowly turning a soft shade of pink. Briskly, he shifted over to his backpack.

"..He's sick. He should be taken care of." After finding what he had been searching for, he stood, tossing a spare sweater over his shoulder and clutching the small yellow box. "and if that means acting like his husband, then I'll do it. Besides, he'd do the same for me. Come on, Pikachu." The duo left, returning to the tent and zipping it back up.

Once he was out of sight, Eureka tipped her head, and cupped her mouth so only her Pokemon could hear her.

"Dedenne, don't tell Serena, but I think Satoshi might like Onii-chanback.."

* * *

 ** _(in the tent)_**

Pikachu ran in first, briefly nuzzling the inventor before taking his spot inside his trainer's sleeping bag. Satoshi followed, smiling at his friend as he entered.

"Here, put this on." Satoshi knelt down, handing over his sweater. "It might get cold tonight. I also brought some coughdrops. But I can't tell what flavour they are.." He curiously turned the box over, unable to read the french scrawled delicately across the package. "Hey, isn't this your name?"

"Hm?" Citron leaned over, reading the box. "Yes, it is."

"Why is your name written on here?"

"Because 'Citron' means 'lemon' in French. They're honey-lemon flavoured." The inventor blushed, popping the container open and retreiving a neatly wrapped drop. He took the sweater Satoshi had given him and looked over the dozens of pokeballs knitted into the fabric (his mom had hidden the embarassing garnment deep in his backpack last time he visited Kanto). Hesitantly, Citron brought the tacky sweater over his head, flailing his arms in attempt to get it on.

"Kare ga kawaii da.." Satoshi unintentionally mumbled under his breathe, watching from over his shoulder as he opened the tent's skylight. From in his sleeping bag, he could see Pikachu nodding in agreement.

"Excuse me?"

"I-I said that's cool."

Bright firey colours painted the evening sky, glowing gently despite the cool breeze passing through the forest. Surely it was going to be a clear night, the beginning of tiny stars dotted the violet patches of light.

"Would you like to map out star charts tonight?" Citron asked, seemingly satisfied with the fuzzy sweater's excessively frilly cuffs. He sat up, thumbing through his backpack. "We're far enough into the woods were we-w-w-" The boy paused, a confused dazed look crossed his face. "-achoo!"

"Here." Satoshi stook a seat beside him, holding up a tissue to his red nose. "Blow." The inventor obeyed easily. "Ya know, you're alot better than Eureka gives ya credit for. I don't think you're a crybaby at all."

"Thank you." He mumbled shyly, turning back to the rolls of parchment. "But she's right. I'm usually alot worse than this." the boy sniffled, his pale eyes scanning over an intricate map. "The only reason I'm not is because you make me feel better.."

Neither boy said anything, their faces in a matching blush.

"A-anyway, we should be able to get a good view of Teddiursa Major. There's also a full moon tonight, so we add that stage in before becomes a waning gibbous." The inventor rambled on, enthusastically showing Satoshi various beautifully detailed drawings of constellations and complex looking formulas. The two settled down into their near nightly routine. And while most of the information flew in one ear and out the other, the Kanto teen couldn't be happier.

He absolutely adored the spark in his eye whenever he spoke of science. The childlike wonder that illuminated his face made Satoshi smile. If only he could make Citron feel the same sort of joy as he felt at that moment, then everything would be perfect..

Nearly an hour passed before they actually managed to withdraw the telescope. Carefully, the inventor set the cool metal tool on top of the sleeping bags and between his knees.

"Here, let's adjust the angle." He skillfully turned the nob, focusing in on the inky sky above. From beside him, Satoshi sat patiently, watching and thinking as the nerd tinkered with the telescope. Slowly, his pale eyes widened. "..Wow.."

"What?" Satoshi scooted closer, wanting to take an interest in whatever Citron was seeing. Shyly, he craned his head until he could see in the small lense.

"Look." Citron didn't move, instead letting Satoshi rest his head on his shoulder. "To the right, remember that star?"

"That's the one that always points North, huh?" The trainer recognised the brightest star having been shown on several occasions. It shone brightly back at them, a faint blue tinted light glittering through the dark.

"It's name is Polaris. Can you believe it's 434 _lightyears_ away?"

"That's crazy." Satoshi grinned, still watching the twinkling star.

"It is also the only star in the northern sky with a fixed location. That is because it sits on directly on the earth's axis, and thus, it provided early people and pokemon a guide at night.. It's said, that if you are ever lost, just find Polaris," the boy shifted, turning slightly so he was able to see his friend easily. Satoshi too turned, bringing them face to face.

The trainer blushed lightly at the sudden closeness.

"..and it'll bring you home." Citron smiled sweetly, his glasses catching the moonlight that seeped in through their skylight. Shyly, he ruffled the back of his hair. "Although I don't know how accurate that is."

"Pretty accurate if you ask me." Satoshi mumbled. That was how he truely felt. In all his years of traveling, out of all the people he had befriended, Citron was the first and only person to ever make him feel like he was home, no matter how far from Kanto he actually was.

"Huh?"

"Nothing." He quickly corrected himself. "W-where's that big compass thing?"

"You mean the sextant." The inventor grinned, leaning over to his backpack and removing a gleaming metal instrument. The night carried on, marking down angles, calculating longitudes and latitudes, grids and updating star charts. All the while, Satoshi couldn't help notice the small brushes and touches that seemed to constantly occur every time the two got close.

"S-Sorry." Citron appologised with a yawn, having just placed his hand on top of Satoshi's 'on accident'.

"Tired already?" He chuckled.

"Unfortunetly." The boy threw himself down on the sleeping bags, curling up and pulling the collar of his fuzzy sweater up to his face.

"Want me ta tuck you in?" he joked playfully tossing their pillow (since they only had one) over so he could use it.

"If you wouldn't mind." The inventor blushed lightly, perhaps a little embarassed.

"Sure." Satoshi helped zip the boy in, making sure he was comfortable. "Don't worry 'bout all the science stuff. I'll put it away."

"Thank you."

It took a short while to get everything organised (the mass of charts and graphs had gotten scattered to every edge of their tent). But that didn't bother the trainer. Occasionally he'd peer over, seeing that Citron had fallen asleep peacefully. Pikachu had decided to make a small nest in the blond's arm pit, leeching his fever's heat much like Horubii had done earlier. Seeing his two best friends gave him a strange feeling..

 _I wonder if this is what it'd be like if we were a family. Just the three of us together, travelin' the world.. I haven't been home in so long, I kinda forgot what it's like to have a family._

Satoshi settled down, zipping up his own sleeping bag and yawning quietly. Eventually he'd get the courage to tell Citron how he felt. Maybe then they could talk about a future together. If they'd continue to travel or not, if they'd eventually get married..

 _Crap, I sound like a shojou manga girl.._ The trainer blushed to himself.

Even so, that moment wouldn't be any time soon. No, before any of that, he had to make sure Citron felt the same way.

For now, he'd just wait.

Slowly, the trainer felt his eyes getting heavier, drifting off into a deep sleep.

* * *

 ** _(in Satoshi's dream)_**

 _He'd seen a similar scene before.._

 _And to be completely honest, that 'similar scene' was in a popular shojou manga he had stashed deep in his backpack (beneathe a fair amount of protein bars and dirty socks). It's adorable fluffy shota influences were clear as day, permiating his dreams with a peculiar feminine appeal._

 _Prism Tower glittered above the city, casting it's golden glow as evening drew nearer. The arm was warm and gentle, carrying the far away scent of blooming roses. The stone work in the plaza wound gracefully around each curve and turn._

 _The trainer stared ahead, bright amber eyes landing on a familiar person just infront of the gleaming tower. Something about the way the fading sunlight illuminated him made the blond appear otherworldly._

 _'There he is.'_

 _"S-Satoshi?" the inventor turned, his face lighting up with shock at the sight of him. Excited, the boy akwardly ran to his side, throwing his arms around him in a tender hug. "I thought you left already!"_

 _"Uh.. yeah, about that.."_

 _The trainer's face heated up. He should have already been on a flight back to Kanto. But as he was boarding the plane, it felt like he couldn't bear to leave. It felt like with every step he took closer to departing, that a little more of him was being ripped away. And although he didn't understand completely at the time, it became obvious to him as he was approaching Prism Tower why he needed to come back:_

 _"I-I didn't wanna go." He started, removing himself from their embrace just enough to make eye contact. In his chest, he could feel his heart racing, anticipation was pulsing through his viens._

 _"But you won." The blond appeared half way to tears. "I thought-"_

 _"I know, I'm not supposed ta be here now. But I had to come back. Listen.." he took a deep breathe, preparing himself for the emotional flood that was surely to come. "Ya said that you've been learnin' from me since the day we met, right?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Well, ta be honest, I've kinda been watchin' you too. I've seen ya grow. You were a self-concious timid guy, but because of your hard work and your will to keep going, ya got courage. I look up to you._

 _"You're smart and innovative a-and.._

 _"..You always say that you've learned from me. But I feel like you're the one who has been teachin' me this whole time. You're not afraid to show your emotions and acknowledge your weaknesses. And I feel like, because of you, I can do that too._

 _"You said a fighter like me needs a calm type like you by his side.. and I couldn't agree anymore. Citron," the trainer gently took his friend's hand, gently lacing their fingers together at their sides. He paused briefly, admiring the sweet flush that tinted the blond's face. "I-I love you.."_

 _"Satoshi.." His voice sounded soft and almost dreamy._

 _'I love you so much..'_

 _With that, Satoshi closed the little space between them, kissing him tenderly._

* * *

 ** _(Meanwhile, in the tent)_**

"Ouch!" a hand to the temple woke Citron from a deep sleep. Disgruntled, he turned to glare at the boy beside him.

 _Hm..? Oh, he's still asleep.._

His frustration immediately disappeared, seeing the normally hyperactive trainer appear so peaceful. The delicate angular features of his face were dimmly illuminated by the distant coming sunrise. Soft tufts of raven black hair fell in front of his eyes, giving his normally rough and scruffy appearance a boyish charm.

The trainer mumbled incoherently, finding his one of his friend's arm and holding it into his chest like a plushie.

 _He's so cute.. I wonder what he's saying.._

Timidly, the inventor scooted closer, wanting to pick up on any words. Perhaps it was a little invasive to try to figure out what was going on in Satoshi's head.. but to be honest, his curiousity had gotten the better of him.

 _What could he be dreaming about?_

Citron leaned in even closer, as though hoping that with enough intense focus, that he'd be able to see what his friend was seeing. After a few moments of still quiet, Satoshi broke the silence.

"Citron..." Satoshi mumbled, nuzzling the inventor's arm again as he slept. "S-suki.. da yo.."

 _'Ski dai o' ? Huh? What does that mean?.._

Quickly, his confusion cleared. That's right. Satoshi's native language was Japanese, so clearly he'd speak it in his sleep. Surely it was just something random, right? That is how dreams work after all. Dreams are merely the scenes our brains show us as it's repairing matter and gaining energy for the next day.

 _But he said my name.._

..

After some deliberation, carefully, Citron reached over to his backpack, quietly rummaging between blueprints and spare pairs of underwear until he found a small colourful book. The last few months, they had taken turns teaching each other their respective languages. And although the blond was having a surprisingly hard time, he had managed to purchase a battered dictionary in one of the previous towns they had visited.

He plopped the book on his chest, squinting in attempt to read without his glasses. Using his free hand, he flipped through the pages, going word by word until he was able to peice it together.

 _I know 'da' is a conjugation of 'desu'. Also, 'yo' is used almost for emphasis.. so all I'm looking for, is 'ski'.. huh.. there's no S and K together.. what about S and U..?.. ah, here it is._

SUKI: noun. Like, love or foundness. Commonly used to express love for another person, place or thing.

Example: "Yumi-san, Anata ga suki desu." or "Ichigo daisuki!"

Synonyms include AI, DAISUKI and KOI.

 _To express love... Love... LOVE!_

The inventor's heart skipped a beat, as he repeatedly reread over the defenition. There it was, written in black and white. But still, the inventor had a hard time believing what he had just heard. Satoshi.. just confessed to him?

 _I have to check._

"Satoshi.." he whispered, turning onto his side and nudging the trainer gently. Of course, he was nervous. If he really did just confess, than this could be one of the biggest moments of his young life. "Satoshi, are you awake?"

"Mmm.." The boy groaned, shifting to rest on his side. A long tanned arm came around Citron's shoulders, landing rather uncomfortably.

"S-Satoshi?.." He whispered again, disregaurding the elbow in his neck and gently nudging the boy. For a moment, Citron thought he'd fall back asleep, until a hand made it's way lazily cupping the crook of this neck.

"W-wait.." The Kalosian stuttered, his eyes growing wide as Satoshi closed the space between them, akwardly kissing the side of his lip before correcting himself into a proper kiss. "Hmm.." Citron blushed furiously, his body going ridged and heart pounding against his chest.

Sloppyly, the trainer pushed his tounge between his lips, deepening the contact.

 _This is it!_

As if by instinct, the blond leaned into his touch with a soft moan. His first kiss was now _officially_ Satoshi. Did this mean what he heard earlier was true? It had to be, right? There could be no mistake.

At that moment, the blond made up his mind. This is what he had been waiting for. For the opertunity to finally reach out a-

"Ahhmmm.." Satoshi abruptly pulled back, leaving a trail of saliva between them, then falling back into a sound asleep as if nothing had happened. The inventor stared in disbelief and confusion, breathing heavily.

 _W-what the Hell?! He couldn't give me, what, five seconds to kiss back?_

So, Satoshi wasn't awake after all..

Citron felt slightly crestfallen. Here he was, his heart racing, his face a bright pink and desperately wanting more, while Satoshi hadn't even been aware that they were just sharing their first kiss in the first place..

..and yet, the young inventor's frustration wasn't in vain, he had learned something:

Satoshi _did_ like him. His suspisions were confirmed. After months of standing by the sidelines and admiring him from afar, he had gained the knowledge that he had been wanting for so long.

With renewed determination, the boy let his brain wonder, scheming and pondering ways to get either the courage to confess to Satoshi himself, or to get _him_ to come out first.

 _Things are about to get interesting.._

* * *

 **Happy Diodeshipping Day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** time to bring in Flirty!Citron :D lol but yes! I had a goal (set last week), that id start trying to update one fic a week! AND I DID IT! (which is super surprising, because im usually SO horribly slow). But anyway, woo! update (this is also my longest chapter of any fic ive done)! :D

* * *

It had seemed so... real...

The trainer lazily stared up at the tent ceiling, thinking over his previous night's dream. His amber eyes scanned the skylight of the tent, his body still too heavy to bother moving. He could hear Pikachu snoring lightly, nestled tightly in between him and Citron.

Outside, the girls chatted quickly, the subtle klink of dishware and crackle of fire bringing him a strange comfort.

 _I wish it wasn't a dream.._ he sighed, wiping dried drool from the corner of his lip. If only he had the chance. If only he could find the right opportunity to tell the blond boy how he really felt, then perhaps they could have the same sort of sweet romance he secretly longed for.

 _I'm pretty sure even if he did like me, that he wouldn't make the first move.. he's WAY to shy. Hell, he's even embarrassed to get dressed in the tent at the same time as me.. there's no way he'd m-_

GRR...

The trainer's stomach let out a long groan, resembling a wild pokemon rather than an internal organ. Satoshi clutched at his abdomen, trying to silence the obscenely loud gurgle.

"Pi?.." The electric mouse stirred, blinking his eyes and stretching as he woke up. "Pi-pikachu.. chaaaaa!"

"Mornin', buddy." Satoshi whispered, reaching over and scratching behind his friend's ear. "You hungry too?" The pokemon bounded from his spot, sending small poofs of warm air from their sleeping bags in his immediate desire for breakfast. "I guess that's a yes." The trainer chuckled, unzipping the tent just enough for Pikachu to scurry out before closing it again to get dressed. As he was pulling up a clean pair of boxers, his eyes flickered over to the peacefully sleeping body cuddled into himself.

The blond's chest rose and fell gently, keeping a steady rhythm.

 _I wonder if I should wake him up.._

To be completely honest, Satoshi didn't know if he'd have the heart to disturb the poor sick boy. The way he was nestled into his sleeping bag, gold coloured hair strewn perfectly imperfect across the pillow, was just too adorable.

 _I'll let him sleep in, he needs all the rest he can get anyway.._ he found himself thinking. Once he was completely dressed, he wondered out into the campsite, smiling at his other two friends' seemingly pleasant morning.

"Hey guys." He greeted, taking a seat at the picnic table.

"Good morning!" Eureka chimed. The girl was brushing her hair, braiding her bangs and pinning them down with a gold coloured clip. A few feet away, Serena was organising her purse.

"You guys goin' somewhere?" The trainer looked between his two friends, curiously scanning the campsite for any sign of breakfast (and to his disappointment, found none).

"Eureka and I are going back to town." Serena smiled, pulling a flier from her backpack. She held it up for him to see, showing him a picture of a woman dressed in a black gown smiled coyly. Beside her, a man with auburn and a cigarette was grinning similarly. "Carnet has a new movie out, and the first hundred people at the debut get in half price."

 _Why do they wanna see Carnet? Her acting's boring..but at least she can battle.. besides, he's way better looking.._

The trainer thought briefly, looking at the man's sculpted arms and five-o-clock shadow. Since he had become open with his sexuality, the embarrassment he would have felt before was completely gone. For a moment, he let his amber eyes scan the picture.

 _Oh, wait.. she's still talking.._

"-ther despite their families feud. Isn't that romantic?" She had the movie poster clutched to chest, her eyes sparkly with fangirl admiration.

"H-huh? Yeah. Really romantic." He smiled awkwardly, taking a small step back.

"Serena! Let's go!" Eureka flew by her older friends, taking the honey haired girl's hand. Dedenne chirped happily from her pouch, running to his trainer's head. "I wanna see it!"

"W-wait." The performer stuttered. "D-do you want to come with us, Satoshi?"

"Nah, I'm good. I wanna stay here with Citron." The trainer turned towards the recently extinguished campfire, returning to his search for some food. To be completely honest, all he wanted was to satisfy the hunger eating away at his stomach, not walk for a few hours to suffer through yet another 'chick flick'. Besides, he much preferred being in another boy's company (girls weren't the easiest to talk to).

"Oh.. okay." She smiled almost sadly. "We'll be back in a few hours."

"Have fun!" He called after the duo, watching as they disappeared down the forest path towards town.

"Chuu.." he felt a tug on his pant leg, peering down to see his friend's disgruntled face. "Pika-pi."

"Me too, buddy." The boy crouched down, letting the mouse climb onto his shoulders. "Let's get some fire wood. I'll cook up breakfast."

The morning seemed to go peacefully enough. After gathering and splitting a few logs, and with Fiarrow's help, they had successfully started the fire pit again. The familiar smell filled the trainer's nose as he flipped through one of Citron's cookbooks.

 _Okayu went well before. I actually kinda like cooking.._

He turned the page again, skipping over a 'Kalosian Toast' recipe that looked way too sweet for this time of day. His amber coloured eyes scanned a few more, occasionally stopping to check on the mug of tea brewing at his side.

 _I wanna make somethin' a little more special. Okayu's great and everything, but it'd be nice make something to impress him.. crepes.. no, too fancy.. bread pudding? is that even a breakfast?... wait, this looks good.._

Having decided to make Isshu style pancakes, the trainer set to work, letting his mind wonder and not really paying much attention to his surroundings. Several dirty dishes and a split bag of flour later, he grinned proudly at his gluey concoction of batter. After the first two, he felt confident that he'd be able to serve a decent looking breakfast.

After plopping in the third pancake, he leaned against the picnic table, smiling at his friend and lifting his tea to his lips.

"Hey, Pikachu, this is goin' pretty good. I think mom would be proud of us." He puffed a breathe of air into the cup, waiting for it to cool. "Maybe w-w...we.." the boy paused, his face contorting as he tried to fight back a sneeze. "A-ACHOO!"

His body jarred forward, sloshing the scalding hot tea directly into his chest. The liquid scorched his skin, running down his torso and leaving a burning trail as it went.

"GOD DAMNIT!" The Kanto boy cursed, quickly throwing off both shirts in attempt to keep from being hurt further.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu rushed to his trainer's side, concerned for his trainer as he continued swearing in Japanese.

"I-I'm okay.." He tried to reassure, his voice almost a growl with pain. "Th-that just really hurt.." he peered down, eyeing the searing red mark leading down his chest. Beside him, the electric mouse ran towards a nearby tree, climbing high and retrieving a icy blue fruit.

"Pi-Pika-pi." He dropped it on the table, trying to help.

"..thanks.." Satoshi crushed the berry in his palms, smearing it over the scarlet burnt skin. Almost immediately a rush of freezing cold soothed the injury, smelling strongly like mint chewing gum. The trainer breathed a sigh of relief, smiling at his little yellow friend. "Thanks, buddy."

"Chaaa!" Pikachu chirped happily, before perking his ears, abruptly becoming alert. Panic struck the pokemon's face, pointing towards the campfire. "Pi-Pikachu!"

"Huh?" Satoshi peered over, his amber coloured eyes widening at the sight of a now raging fire and smoke whirling up into the sky. "Shit! It's burning!"

As the trainer flailed in a panic, the pokemon watched for a moment before bounding to the group's supplies, pulling out a small watering can. The two frantically tried to bring the fire down, dowsing the flames to reveal the blackened pancakes.

"THAT'S IT! I'm never doin' this again!" The trainer declared loudly with frustration, throwing himself in a picnic chair. Some where beside him, he could hear the fire withering away (thanks to Pikachu's efforts).

 _No wonder I don't cook...this sucks..._

"Satoshi?" a timid voice came from behind him. Quickly the boy turned around, feeling a rush of embarrassment flood his face. How much had he seen? Why did he care? It shouldn't have mattered if he saw him flailing around like a confused Magikarp. But for some reason, it did. "..Are you ok?"

"H-Hey, Citron." The trainer quickly straightened himself out, trying to remain calm by running a hand though his bangs (and accidentally smearing the blue fruit into his hair in the process). "What's up?"

"I just heard some commotion, and wanted to make sure everything was alright." Shyly, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Um.. where are the girls?"

"Serena took Eureka into town. They got kinda bored. S-So it's just you an' me." Satoshi chuckled nervously, nudging him with an elbow.

"I see.." The blond tipped his head curiously, a slight blush crossing his cheeks as his eyes scanned over Satoshi's bare chest. "What were you...?"

 _It's still on me, isn't it?_

"I...was doing push ups." He let out a small nervous chuckle, dropping down to the grass and demonstrating. "And I guess there was a berry under me that I didn't see."

The boy didn't seem to fully believe him, a small smile crossing his lips. As though seeking conformation, he peered past the trainer to his pokemon.

"Pi-pi.." Pikachu quietly shook his head exasperatedly, tilting his watering can a little more on the now barely smoldering campfire.

"That's cute." Citron chuckled shyly, turning on his heal towards the group medical kit.

"W-what's cute?" Quickly Satoshi sprang up and brushed his palms off on his pants. He came up behind him, walking backwards and throwing his arms above his head in attempt to appear normal. It could have been convincing, if not for the peachy flush tinting his cheeks and blue fruit still smeared over his chest like a messy toddler.

"Nevermind, it's nothing." The blond crouched down, shuffling through boxes of gauze and tissues until he found a white pack adorned with the words 'icy-hot' across the side. In addition, he grabbed a small purple towel and a handful of cough drops. Curiously, Satoshi watched.

 _What does he mean? Does he mean me? I didn't think it was possible for me to be cute.._

Would it be wrong to assume that Citron had been talking about him? Was the blond trying to complement him? Unsure of what to do, but as he got up to leave, the trainer decided to speak up.

"Uh.. so.. _Pikachu'_ s cute, right?" He grinned nervously, following his sick friend as he made his way towards the tent. Citron didn't reply, simply smiling sweetly before letting himself inside. Somehow, he found it strange how a subtle action could send Butterfrees through his stomach. The boy peered inside waiting until his friend waved him in. "C-cause it can't be me.. right?"

"Oh, no. You can be cute." The inventor situated himself on top of his sleeping bag, cracking the white pack and setting it aside wrapped in the towel. "You know, in your own way."

"Really?" Satoshi scooted to Citron's side, trying to keep his eyes focused on his face. The blond unbuttoned the top of his nightshirt, leaning his head to the side and slipping the now freezing cold pack under the back of his collar. "H-how? Like a Skitty or somethin'?"

"No, you're not a girly cute." The inventor peered up at him, visibly uncomfortable with the icy sensation on his skin. "You're masculine and sort of scruffy. Kind of like the boy in 'Peter Pan'."

"Is that a movie?" The trainer felt an unfamiliar tinge of irrational jealousy in being compared to an unknown (but probably handsome) actor.

"It's a book." Citron replied, removing the cold pack and setting it aside. "We can read it together sometime if you'd like. I think Eureka has a copy of it somewhere." Under his breathe he muttered something in french as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"You okay?"

"Yes. I just slept badly, so my neck hurts.." The blond sighed. "I thought this would make it feel better, but to be honest, it's not really working.."

"..Ya know, maybe I can help." The trainer blushed, inching a little closer to his friend's side. "I used ta help my mom when she'd get aches and pains from workin' in the diner. I can get it for you, if you'd like."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just lay down, take off your shirt and tell me where it hurts."

"W-why do I need to take off my shirt?" He stammered, his face a dark pink and gripping the front of his gown.

"'cause otherwise it makes your back all slippery, and it's harder to do a good job."

".." Hesitantly, the blond obeyed, striping down to his bloomers before relaxing on top of the sleeping bag. Taking a calming breath, the Kanto teen tried to find the best way to position himself, finally settling on straddling his lower back.

 _It's just to get his shoulders easier, I swear.._ He tried to justify, ignoring the burning heat flooding his face. Carefully, he got to work, kneading the tense muscles in his neck and shoulders as his brain wondered.

What exactly did Citron mean? Typically when a person is called 'cute', it implies some sort of attraction, right? So if he could figure out a little more, then perhaps he'd be able to piece together who the blond could potentially be interested in..

".. So, this guy from that book.." Satoshi started, wanting to know more.

"Peter Pan?" The blond peered back at him, crossing his arms beneath his head like a pillow.

"Yeah. You said he's _cute_?" For a minute, Citron didn't respond, instead choosing to ponder. The trainer continued to work on the knots going down his back, waiting for his response. Finally, he spoke again.

"Hm...yes. In a boyish way." He smiled innocently, even blushing slightly. "I mean, it's pretty easy to see why. He has a certain... charm. I've heard alot of people tend to develop a crush on him, even other guys."

The trainer suppressed a growl in the back of his throat.

"What's so cool about him, anyway?"

"Huh?.. Well, he's confident and brave. Not to mention skilled in battle." The tone in his voice was wistful and with deep admiration. "He is supposed to have unending youth, forever ten years old. He's even described as a beautiful boy.. _bishounen_.. although they never really say what he's supposed to look like. But I like to imagine him with dark hair.. maybe with golden brown eyes.."

"Little prick.." The trainer thoughtlessly dug his palm in almost too harshly into his friend's shoulder blade, caught up in his feelings of mild jealousy.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, my bad." they fell into an uncomfortable silence.

 _Pft.. Peter Pan.. who the hell does he think he is?..bet I'm braver than him.. bet I'm stronger too.. 'Pan', what a stupid name. Who'd name their character after bread?.._

Why did it piss him off so much to hear Citron talking about another boy so fondly? Besides, he wasn't real, he only existed in books. He wasn't an actual person like him and Citron. Perhaps he just needed to calm down.. maybe he'd punch a tree later..

"..so, you think guys can be cute?" Satoshi questioned, wanting to reconfirm what he had just learned.

"Sure. Just like girls or pokemon."

 _Huh?.._ his answer managed to catch him off guard.

"But they aren't in the same way, right? L-like you wouldn't date a Pokemon.."

"True." The blond grunted, feeling the soft part of Satoshi's palm press into his back.

"..Are there any girls you like in particular?" Almost immediately he could tell he struck on to something. Beneath his hands, he could feel the other boy tensing ever so slightly.

"To be honest.." he paused, his fingers curling in the sleeping bag. He turned his face, refusing to letting Satoshi read his expression."No. I tend to not think of girls in that way. I mean, yes, I think they can be cute, but only like Eureka or Pikachu. They can even be pretty, like my mom was or a piece of art.. but.. I'm not really comfortable with the idea of having a romantic relationship with one.. I just don't want to.."

".."

".."

Neither spoke, occasionally breaking the long silence with a small sigh or grunt as Satoshi worked the knots out of Citron's muscles. He let out a shallow breathe, slowly feeling his temper wane away.

 _Ya know.. I'm not really surprised. It kinda makes sense. I mean, he's always scoldin' Eureka for asking girls to marry him. If he's not interested in a girlfriend, and she pressures him into havin' one, I don't think he'd have the heart to break up with her. Then he'd be stuck.._

"Can you please get a little lower?" The blond politely interupted, peering back at him timidly. "My lower back hurts too."

"Hm? Oh, sure.. no problem." Satoshi moved further down his friend's body, all of a sudden in an even more provocative area.

Gradually, his curiosity was building. Citron had expressed admiration, and perhaps even a crush on another guy (even though it was a fictional character). Not only that, but he didn't think of girls in a romantic sense. So did that mean...

"What do ya think about _boys_?" The blond didn't get a moment to speak before a loud sound came ringing though the camp.

"Onii-chan! Satoshi!" Eureka's voice rang loudly as the girls returned. There was a rustle as various bags hit the ground. And before they knew what had happened, the little girl popped her head into the tent, her pale eyes widening at the sight of her brother shirtless and in his underwear, mounted by his (also shirtless) best friend.

"E-Eureka!" Quickly the inventor sat up, involuntarily flinging Satoshi off his back ("hey!") as he pulled the sleeping bag over himself. "Have you ever heard of knocking?!"

"You can't knock on a tent door, dummy." She put her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing between her brother and the trainer. "What were you two doing?"

"Please get out!"

"Why are you both half naked?"

"I'll explain later!"

"Why are you blushing?"

" _Eureka_!"

"Eureka, what's going on?" Serena's voice came from behind the little girl, curiously she peered in the tent. Her face turning bright red immedietely as she fled back outside. "Oh geez!"

"We weren't doin' anythin'! I was just helpin him feel better!" Satoshi called out, getting progressively more and more frustrated as he searched for a clean change of clothes. "Besides, even if we were, there's nothin' wrong with two guys enjoyin' themselves in the privacy of their own tent!"

"Satoshi!" The blond's face was a bright scarlet red.

"W-what?!" Satoshi's face was a similar hue, struggling to get his tank top on. He continued to shuffle around the tent, seemingly searching for something else.

No response.

"Citron?" he turned, coming unexpectedly close to his friend. The boy had his overshirt held out, gently nudging his arm with it. Almost immediately, the trainer felt his frustrations wane.

 _Oh yeah.. things were actually going pretty well before the girls came around.. what's up with that? It's like Arceus just wants to cock block me.._

"Here." Again, the boy tried returning the garment.

"Nah, keep it.. I don't need it right now anyway." He slipped his gloves and hat back on, turning the cap backwards. The boy smiled a nervous toothy grin. "I'd rather ya hang on to it. You know, in case ya get lonely." He joked lightly.

If he couldn't get an answer out of the inventor like he had wanted, if he was able to give him some sort of hint that he liked him, then this would have to be it. Sure, it reminded him of the corny movies where the guy gives the girl his jacket ( _'keep it for the night, babe'_ ), but it was all his foggy brain was able to come up with at the moment.

"Th-thank you.." Citron retracted the shirt, settling it in his lap shyly. He sat quietly for a moment, pale eyes not lifting from the shirt. "..I think I'm going to take a nap, I'm kind of tired.."

"Hm? O-okay."

 _I wonder if it worked.._ Satoshi made his way towards the tent exit.

"G'night, lemme know if you need anything."

"I will.. goodnight, Satoshi."

With that, he left, leaving the blushing boy by himself..

* * *

 **(a little later that afternoon)**

The little girl sat quietly, watching the trainer from across the campsite. Although it was pretty obvious whatever happened earlier had been a simple misunderstanding, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something going on that she (and Serena) weren't completely aware of.

If her brother and Satoshi liked each other, than what was stopping them from being together? There was nothing wrong with two boys loving each other, in fact, she thought it was rather cute seeing her brother acting like he had been hit by 'Attract'.

She had tried to give them time to themselves earlier by taking Serena into town. But due to the boys being slow, and Serena too fast, they apparently hadn't accomplished much. Heck, she even warned them (by being loud) when they returned to camp (to keep the performer from walking in on them and getting hurt emotionally). Sure, it was uncomfortable to see her brother like that. But it only made her more certain that Satoshi was the one he needed to be with.

Growing bored of just sitting around, Eureka stood, making her way over towards the Kanto boy. Perhaps if boys were dense (and it was pretty obvious that they were), then maybe she should give them a little push in the right direction. Massages are good and all, but it probably wouldn't lead up to anything more than that.

Besides, wasn't it a little sister's job is to make sure her brother gets a nice wife...er...husband?

She found Satoshi doing pull ups on a nearby tree, Luchabul seemingly keeping count while Pikachu shared an apple with Onbat.

"Hey, Satoshi." She called, looking up curiously at them. "What are you doing?"

"Exercise." He answered with a grunt. The trainer dropped to the ground, landing on his feet with a small grunt. He shook out his hands, sending tiny shreds of tree bark from his gloves. "I thought since Citron's been asleep for a while, that I'd workout a little bit. Ya know, while he doesn't need me.. Guess that massage helped him after all."

The girl tipped her head, noticing he pink lightly colouring the boy's cheeks. Quickly, he grabbed a towel, rubbing his face in the fabric, then tossing it over a shoulder.

 _Wait, is he blushing? He's so bad at hiding it, that it's kinda funny.._

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about my Onii-chan." She crossed her arms, grinning mischievously.

"Yeah?" What about him?"

"I think he has more than a cold."

"Is he getting worse?" Satoshi's eyes widened slightly, appearing suddenly concerned.

"Non, non." Eureka wagged her finger, smiling at him. "I think he got bit.. by a _love bug_.."

"Love bug? Is that a Pokemon?" The boy seemed as oblivious as ever.

"No, dummy. You know, the _love_ bug. Have you seriously never heard that expression?" The girl dropped her arms to her sides, utterly amazed that Satoshi apparently had no knowledge of common expressions. He couldn't be this dense, he just couldn't be..

"Is it french?"

.. or he could.

This was going to take some explaining..

* * *

 **(meanwhile in the tent)**

 _Why's he so dense?.._

The blond stared lazily at Satoshi's side of the tent. In his hands, he had the trainer's shirt like a stuffed animal. He had yet to get dressed, choosing to remain hidden in his sleeping bag with the garment pressed against his skin.

Clearly Satoshi hadn't picked up on his 'Peter Pan' hint. A _beautiful boy with dark hair, golden brown eyes_? _Someone brave and strong, who's skilled in battle_? Perhaps the inventor had underestimated his oblivious nature, or perhaps he had been a little too subtle.

Shyly, Citron nuzzled against the shirt again, taking comfort in the musky boyish smell that was so representative of Satoshi. It was becoming more and more obvious that if he wanted to get the trainer's attention, he was going to need to be more straight forward..

 _But it's not that easy for me to be bold.._

This is where his problem laid. Even the little advances he had managed to make took alot of courage for the shy blond. So the prospect of having to push himself even further was intimidating. It would be really embarrassing to be that forward..

However..

What if there was a way to (essentially) flirt with Satoshi, without feeling awkward? What if he was able to hide behind something, like... oh, say a fever..

Sure it might sound cowardly, but at this point, it seemed like his only option. His pale eyes scanned the tent, landing on his backpack laying haphazard across from him. From beneath various odds and ends (parchment, bloomers, etc.), he could barely see the wires belonging to a once functioning heating pad.

 _..My fever isn't that high anymore.. but maybe I can fake it.._

If he failed, he could always blame the illness. But if he succeeded, then things could only get better from there.

 _I want to try.._

* * *

 **(outside the tent)**

"Geez.." the girl sighed, mimicing Serena's common exasperated expression. "Okay, let's go over this again. A love bug is not a pokemon and it's not just a Kalosian saying. Got it?"

"I guess." Satoshi exchanged confused glances with Pikachu, neither really sure if they completely grasped the idea of being bitten by a non-exsistant love inducing non-pokemon bug. What _were '_ bugs' if not pokemon?

"I just noticed that Onii-chan has been happier lately, and thought that maybe you might know what.. or who, helped him." She tipped her head, putting her little hands on her hips. "He didn't happen to tell you, did he?"

"I dunno.." The trainer glanced towards the tent, his countenance bewildered, yet strangely contemplative. Finally he sighed, rubbing his temples. ".. I gotta tell ya, all this 'love bug' stuff's givin' me a headache.."

"He didn't say anything about liking someone? Maybe a girl? Or a _boy_?" Eureka looked at him curiously, as though she hadn't even heard his statement.

"Not really, ya know, besides that stupid character... Peter Bread or somethin.." Satoshi scowled, heading back to the tree branch he had been using. With one jump, he was back to doing pull ups, effectively ending their conversation.

 _Okay, this is hopeless.._

"Anyway," Eureka started again, turning on a heel and waving, "I guess I'm going to go help Serena groom Eevee. Bye."

"See ya." He replied as she walked away.

Well away from the boy's gaze, the little girl sighed. She now completely understood what Serena meant by him being as dense as a rock. Subtly just seemed to fly a thousand miles over his head.

Maybe she'd give it another shot later. One way or another, she was going to make sure that her brother got the boyfriend he wanted and deserved.

* * *

 **(that evening)**

A few hours after dinner, the girls retired to bed, leaving Satoshi to himself.

Pikachu had chosen to nest in his trainer's cap, his chest rising and falling peacefully. Taking the opportunity, the Kanto boy started to settle into a quite evening, sitting down to sketch his friend (yet again).

 _Man, it's kinda lonely out here once everyone's asleep.._

His pencil glided over the page, drawing light lines in familiar shapes as his mind wondered.

 _It's alot more fun when Citron's out here.. I miss him drawing with me.. and showin' me all his blueprints and stuff.._

For a while, the trainer sat in silence, letting his body go on autopilot. It was a solid twenty minutes, before from he could hear a zipper and gentle footsteps moving through the grass behind him. A small sneeze told the boy that it was Citron who must have woken up.

 _Thank you! Come talk to me, hang out with me.._

"Hey, Citron. There's some leftover stew in the pot. I can heat it up, if ya want." The trainer didn't look up, focusing on his most recent sketch of Pikachu. He tried to keep his voice as natural as possible, despite his excitement to have company so late at night. "It was actually pretty good. The girls managed to bring back some Big Mushrooms."

No response.

 _Maybe he's not hungry..okay then, what about tea? That might make him feel better._

"I also go-"

His words caught in his throat, feeling a pair of warm arms wrap around his neck. Against his back, the inventor gently rested against him, nuzzling the skin just behind his ear. Softly, the other boy's lips grazed the sensitive area.

"I-I... got tea.. in the kettle... C-Citron, do you.. need somethin' else?" he managed to stutter with surprise, fighting back the bright red flush covering his face. The rush that came from a simple hug was enough to send his brain into a lovestruck stupor. Nervously, he managed to turn around, his eyes unexpectantly locking on the boy's bare chest. Peering up, he could see his friend's fever riden face smiling coyly.

"As a matter of fact, I do." He leaned a little closer, tightening his grip. "And I think you're just the person who can give it to me.."

 _Huh?.. 'give'? Give wha-_

"H-hey!"

Before he knew what was happening, the trainer could feel a force yank him off his seat, hitting the ground with a dull thud. There was a brief pain in his knees and palms as they crashed, unintentionally pinning Citron beneath him.

"O-ow.." the boy groaned, still trying to register what had just happened. "C-Citron, I'm sorry, I-I don't know wha-" Satoshi began, trying to appologise for their current position.

"Satoshi.. look at me." His cheeks were a dark rosy pink, radiating with what must have been an extraordinarily high fever. His lips were parted, his breathing lightly and slowly. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought that the blond was up to something rather.. naughty, only a few moments ago.

 _Oooohh shit! What's goin' on?!_

Acting impulsively, Satoshi had let his eyes wonder down, confirming that Citron indeed had no shirt, dressed only in his bloomers. His cheeks heated up, feeling his body respond quickly to the half naked boy submissively staring back at him. But what really got his blood going, was feeling his knee pressed against a _particularly_ sensitive (and warm) area on the nerd's body.

Quickly, he tried pulling his mind out of the gutter.

"Are... you okay? Ya look really hot.."

"I know.." His lenseless pale eyes stared back at him, the campfire giving them a delicate glow. Gently, he propped one of his knees up, lightly brushing it against Satoshi's crotch. The touch set hormones flooding through his body, his heart racing faster with excitement. "You're not doing a very good job at hiding it."

"Not that kinda 'hot'.. a-although I really wouldn't say you're wrong.." The trainer's body stiffened, unsure of how to interpret the new intimate position. What was with him? For the first time, it felt like (as strange as it may be), that the blond boy was _trying_ to flirt with him. And while he most certainly didn't mind it, being pulled to the floor like this was rather sudden.

 _Geez, not wastin' time, is he?.._

He could feel Citron's hands moving behind his head, twirling a lock of dark coloured hair coyly. After a moment, he found his way back into his shirt collar, slowly running a finger down the centre of his neck.

"Oh, god.." Satoshi mumbled, biting his lip in attempt to suppress his urges. Somehow the blond had found a turn-on spot, making him shiver with anticipation. Citron seemed to have noticed, letting his fingers gently brush over his skin again and again.

Quickly the trainer's brain grew foggy, lost between confusion, embarrassment and the overwhelming desire to shove his tongue down this boy's throat. How was it _this easy_ to get to him?! Between Citron's bedroom eyes and and feeling the heat warming his body it was harder and harder to resist.

 _Get a hold of yourself! It's probably nothin'.. there's gotta be a reason he's actin' this way.. it's probably just his fever.._

Satoshi let out a strangled desperate moan, fighting the temptation building deep in his chest. Yes, that must be it. Surely a fever would explain this very uncharacteristic behaviour. Because there was no way, _no possibly way_ that Citron would ev-

A pair of hands brought the trainer out of his thoughts. Softly, they cupped the sides of his face.

"H-hey, what are ya doin'?" Satoshi flushed dark red, letting him bring them almost nose to nose.

 _Whoa, he has beautiful eyes.._

"Earlier, you asked me how I feel about boys." Citron started, his voice low and sugary sweet. The blond traced over one of the lightning shaped scars on his cheek fondly, seemingly admiring the unique features of his face.

"Yeah?" He couldn't meet his eyes, having seemingly lost the courage. Nervously he licked his lips, trying his best to remain calm. Citron refused to lift his gaze, the pause seemingly carrying on forever.

"..Tell me, what do you remember of last night?.." he finally asked.

Last night? To be completely honest, he had not the slightest clue of what Citron meant. From what he was able to recall, it had been a pretty average night. Dinner was pretty bland (Serena wasn't the best cook), but watching the stars and spending time with the sick boy was as pleasant as ever.

So what was so different in the previous evening than any other?

"Um.. I dunno.. nothin' really."

".." Wordlessly, Citron let him go with a small sigh. He sat up, looking slightly crestfallen.

 _Good goin' champ. What did ya do now? Geez.._ The Kanto teen felt a pang of guilt.

"Was it your birthday or somethin'? I thought it wasn't til Apr-"

"Close your eyes." He ordered, cutting off Satoshi in mid-sentence.

 _Hm..?_ Nevertheless, Satoshi followed his instructions.

There was a shift as the boy moved, nearly sitting in his lap. The heat beside him seemed to grow until he could just barely feel warm breathe on the side of his cheek.

 _Oh wow, he's close.._ The trainer could feel his chest pounding, internally praying that Citron couldn't hear his racing heart beat.

"Tu m'as embrassé la nuit dernière.." the inventor's voice came in a low and silky whisper. "Tu m'as dit que tu m'aimais.."

"C-Citron?.." Satoshi's amber coloured eyes flickered open, unable to keep them closed any longer. Just from his tone, something told to Kanto boy that this wasn't just a 'friend-to-friend conversation' anymore.

"Je veux t'embrasser à nouveau, mon ange." The Kalosian pulled away lightly, just enough to hold his gaze. His pale eyes shined, sending shivers down the trainer's spine. "S'il te plait..?"

 _Don't. Move. Don't. Even. Breathe..._ What was he supposed to do?! This was, what, the second or third time he had been caught in this situation. And whatever ability he had to think was completely zapped from his mind.

 _God, he's cute.. b-but.. I wish I knew what he was sayin'.._

"C-..I-... Citron.. I don't speak french.." He watched as the blond got to his feet, holding out a hand to his friend. Shyly, Satoshi took it.

"And I don't speak Japanese. But a bit of research never hurt. Non?"

"Research?.." His first instinct was: _crap, learning._ But as the two settled in for the night, the trainer couldn't help but wonder. What did him speaking Japanese have to do with anything? He must have said something, but in his recent memory, nothing came to mind.

Perhaps was it something to do with the previous evening?

As the two prepared for bed, he couldn't help but feel like the events that had just happened had been a dream. That they couldn't possibly be real. And altough he was slightly annoyed for Citron refusing to tell him directly what happened, it only fueled his desire to figure it out.

 _Tell me, what do you remember of last night?.._ His words, his actions, they all implied that something must have happened between them that he wasn't aware of. But then again, perhaps it was just a fever that made him act up, to behave so out of character. Perhaps nothing _actually_ happened..

But that explanation didn't satisfy the trainer. There just HAD to be something more there.

Satoshi tossed and turned, his amber coloured eyes falling on the boy sleeping peacefully next to him. It didn't make sense. If Citron really had a fever so high that it'd cause him to behave differently, then he shouldn't have been able to speak so clearly. His mannerisms (other than the bold intimacy) weren't any thing out of the ordinary.

So was he faking being horribly ill? Citron was incredibly smart, after all. Surely he'd be able to find a way to blame his actions on an extraordinarily high fever.. Curiously, the trainer stretched an arm out, brushing back his bangs and letting his palm rest gently on his friend's forehead.

 _..it's a little warm.. but not nearly as hot as it should be.._ _so, it wasn't the fever. It really was him trying to.. to..._

Citron was using his fever as an excuse to flirt with him, to tell him that something had indeed happened between them the previous evening, and it had to do with how he felt about boys.

But where did Japanese fit into the puzzle? And why did the inventor choose to relay the most important information in French when he knew he couldn't speak it?

 _..Research.._

Sleep was slowly starting to take over his mind, making it more difficult to think. He could feel his eyes growing heavy in spite of his best efforts to stay awake.

Perhaps if he was able to decode his French (in other words, _research_ ), he'd be able to figure it out.

Satoshi grinned lightly, feeling a peaceful sort of happiness pulse though his body. Taking a step back, and actually thinking over the events of the day, the Kanto boy couldn't help but smile. If these had been Citron's attempts at flirting, and he was really trying to get his attention, then perhaps _he_ should start doing a little back..

* * *

Hope you guys like this chapter! if you have any requests, let me know! :D

btw, "Peter Pan" was kind of a joke i put in there. "Pan" is bread in Japanese (and Spanish)! Also, the 'icy fruit' is a Rawst berry. I also did my best in the french portion (but im still learning). I basically wanted him to say:

 _"You kissed me last night.. you said that you love me.. I want to kiss you again, my angel.. please?"_

 _**_ thanks to pikananas for helping my correct my French! ^^ thank you!


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